


There is No Cage

by StarryKitty013



Series: 98% successful [5]
Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst, Bullies, Domestic Avengers, Food Issues, Gen, Hurt Some Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Insomnia, Parties, Peter Parker Has Issues, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter being a good child, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Poverty, Starvation, They try to help, he really needs help, parental figures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-06-18 06:59:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15480141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarryKitty013/pseuds/StarryKitty013
Summary: OR 5 times the Avengers had a temporary solution and one time Peter didn't let them





	1. School

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who's back?! I've got at least 4 new stories I wrote down on my little Vacation so I just gotta edit and transfer those and we should be good!
> 
> this chapter starts the day after that MJ called Peter out in and before she rejected his cookies ‘Can’t Rewrite the Stars.’ In case you guys wanted a timeline. It also goes into summer vacation, like end of year last day of school stuff.
> 
> I changed the title previously 'Running from instinct' because I'm a bitch for the Greatest Showmen  
> Enjoy!

**School**

Peter didn’t like going home.

After today’s session with Lila, he’d felt a little better. More confident that he could repair things with MJ. He felt lighter.

But the closer he got to the apartment in Queens, the more heavier he felt. It was always like this now, no matter his mood, the thought of buzzing in and not getting an answer, or when he did get an answer the door was locked and he’d have to go around into the bar next door to get to the alley through the back to sneak through the fire escape into his room. He’d given up buzzing a while ago and just always kept the door to his room locked now and didn’t waste any time trying to get in normally.

He still had some Physics notes he needed to study and a whole analysis of act 3 in Macbeth to finish. God he hated those things, he’d gotten some done with Lila, but then their study session had turned into a baking session and he didn’t get as much as he needed to done. 

He’d start with Macbeth, since that was the class he had with MJ tomorrow, and he  _ would _ be prepared if she called him out again. Something tightened in his chest at the thought of her doing it again. It hurt.

He was an hour into his work, nearly done with the analysis, just a few more lines and he’d be good. But there was a heavy knocking on his door, it seemed more like pounding. He looked at his alarm clock, it read 11:48pm. 

Not even midnight and he’s drunk.

“Hey you little shit!” he heard on the other end. Peter ran through things he did in his mind. Something he forgot? He’d paid the bills, and stocked the home with food just four days ago. Well stocked was a bit of a stretch, more like bought some fruit and granola bars and milk from the store, but that was enough for him. He never really ate at home anyway. Ben too, he was always out. “You forgot to do the dishes!”

_ Shit _ .

Ben only ever asked him to clean up if he was gonna have guests over. And he’d make Peter clean even  _ while _ the guests were over, if he wasn’t finished. He didn’t like Ben’s new friends. They drunk and played poker and called him names if he walked by. Sometimes slapped his butt as he passed and laughed. It made Peter really uncomfortable, but the worst part was, Ben would usually be the worst of the name calling. Harshest and he encouraged them to do so. 

“Get your ass out of your room and do something  _ useful _ with your senseless life.” Ben banged the door one last time and Peter sighed and got up. Peter liked to finish cleaning  _ before _ they came anyway, but he estimated he had about 30 minutes before they did.

_Plenty of time._ _Right?_

Wrong.

He ended up needing to pick up Ben’s beer bottles and it was a while before he got them all into a trash bag and the poker set up and the dishes- didn’t they use paper plates why were they so many? But then literally a minute before they arrived Ben smashed a bottle of beer he was drinking on the ground, cursing Peter to clean up the fucking mess. It was near the kitchen table where about 4 other equally drunk men were now situating themselves.

_ Stupid Parker Luck. _

Peter ducked his head as he quietly swept up the pieces.

“God could he go any slower?” a man in a red shirt asked in a slur.

“’s probably too dumb to go ‘ny faster.” another said and that brought up a laugh from the first dude.

“Probably too dumb to drink any slower.” Peter mumbled and he’d hoped Ben didn’t hear. Of course he heard. He picked Peter up by the back of his T-shirt, making him spill the glass back on the floor.

“Little retarded  _ freak _ .” he said in his face, breath heavy with alcohol “Jus’ don’ know when to  _ shut up _ .” 

“Doesn’t know when’ta close his trap.” said another guy leaning in the back of his chair taking a gulp of his beer bottle.

“Nah, Gary. He jus’ talks and talks and it’s  _ so _ annoying.” they kept at it a little longer, and Peter couldn’t help but feel his self-esteem diminish. Why’d they have to pick on him? He wasn’t doing anything wrong. Except maybe talk out, but honestly he mumbled it to himself.

_ “I can make your life hell.” _

He wondered how Mr.Stark could ever make  _ this _ worse.

_ “Loser!” a kid taunted a 7 year-old Peter Parker at the playground at after school pick up“Can’t even get up the monkey bars.” Peter was a skinny kid, with skinny arms. He was smart not athletic. He thought fast, but moved slow. He looked down at his shoes. _

_ “Well son, I don’t think you can get as high a grade as Peter.” Peter snapped up to look at his Uncle Ben, who was standing at the gates smiling and leaning against the wall. “Come on Pete.” he called and Peter jogged over.  _

_ They walked home and that’s when Peter let out a whimper. _

_ “Why does he have to be so mean? I didn’t do anything wrong.” Peter asked quietly and his uncle put a hand on his shoulder as they kept walking. _

_ “Sometime  Pete, people pick on others because they are sad and don’t know who to take it out on, so they point out other people’s flaws to make themselves feel better.” Ben said, Peter looked up with hope shimmering in his eyes. “Just don’t pay attention to the things that make you sad. You have people who love you, and things that make you happy. Focus on those instead.” _

But what made him happy anymore?

OoOoO

Steve distanced himself from the kid.

He reminded him too much of himself. Too young, and fighting battles that shouldn’t be fought at his age. Albeit some of those battles he didn’t have a choice in, but the kid could avoid this all together if he’d just sidelined himself instead of Steve trying to every chance he got. 

Steve gave Peter the most easiest and safest jobs whenever he fought with the Avengers. Even before they knew of his age, Steve could tell Spiderman was pretty young, with how young and skinny he looked and his high pitched voice. It made sense when he took off his mask finally, but that didn’t stop the shock. 

Ever since then he’d been making it more of a point to give him easy safe jobs, and to  _ cover the kid god dammit _ . The kid ended up covering the teams’ ass more then the other way around, it was easy to forget how smart and just how  _ strong _ he was. And then he turns around to feed the smaller kids peanut butter sandwiches while they go out for victory dinner. 

Steve always slid him a deli sandwich with pickles everytime they got back, and he’d keep doing it if it kept that smile on the kid’s face for even a second longer. But he knew that couldn’t happen if the Oc kidnapping insident was any indication of what his enemies would do to get to him. He understood the secret identity, but he didn’t understand who the child was protecting. He said family, when asked, but he never spent any time at home. In fact, he seemed to be activly avoiding home. It made him suspicious, but Tony didn’t mind and Banner, Scott and Clint seemed to encourage him to stay more often. 

Not that he minded. 

Yeah, he’d broke skin to cover him. The kid had grown on him, on all of them really.

And he didn’t complain about being assigned the safest jobs. He seemed rather happy, and Steve would guess it was just teenagers and their love for lack of hard work, but the kid swung the fastest to keep people safe, he swung slower when he was fighting. Unless his ellaborate plans included fast swinging, but he tries  _ so hard _ when people were at risk. Even if it was just to save  _ one person _ . 

“ _ So they can home too Capitan.”  _ Peter had said “ _ We can defend ourselves, they can’t, right? That’s why we do this?” _

And it was so pure and genuine. Steve had been doing this whole thing to prove himself, that was how it started. Thor was here cause he liked to fight. Scott and Clint were protecting their families. Natasha was here for something to do. Banner and Wanda was here because he had to. Sam and Bucky were here to keep his ass in check. Tony was doing this for… no one actually knew why Tony was doing this. Peter either, both of them shut up when they were asked. Or Peter mumbled something about leaving and Tony scoffed and brushed it off. Huh, Strange.

Thor adored the kid.

He was strong and worthy. He deserved respect and was an asset in battle. A huge asset. He seemed clever and intelligent enough to understand how technology worked and how to stop it at the source. And he sparred longer than even the good captian, who had been able to last against him the longest before young Peter had joined the sessions. His suspicicions of the child being stronger than the captian were proven true, and he was still growing and still seemed to be getting stronger. 

It wasn’t his strength that kept him in the sparring ring and in battle. Thor noticed he used his intellect more often then not, and nimblness and agility. Those combined with his perserverence and senses, Peter was a very strong force to be reckoned with. And he always looked out for his comrades in battle, as well as taking civilians to top priority.

Yes, Young Peter deserved to be happy for his noble efforts.

So when Peter came into the common room looking sad and distraught, Thor and Steve looked at each other before sitting on either side of him at the counter where he was going through the motions of homework. Steve went behind the  counter to make a sandwich with extra pickles.

“Young Peter. Would you like to spar after you have completed you meaningless work.” Thor asked, Peter tended to talk during battles, and it was strangly not as annoying as Thor thought it would be. He’d talk to his teammate, reassure the victims, or even taunt the enemy. It was constant chatter. The same went for sparring. Constant chatter about his day or what he was planning on doing or rants about small things such as how easy school was, or a funny thing a classmate did, or what he did with his best friend, Ned, or even how meaningless homework. That last on was a constant.

Peter would usually jump at the chance to spar, it always instantly perked him up. But today he gave a small sad smile and said “Nah, I’ve g-got History h-homework...I can’t-I can’t m-miss i-it to-today.” he stuttered. Peter only stuttered when he was really scared or nervous or guilty. He was stuttering too much for it to be just one of those things.

“Do you want us to help you study?” Steve had asked easily. Peter looked at him in shock, Steve got a good look at his paler than usual face and bags. Thor rubbed a hand down his bumpy back.  _ Oh that was his spine _ . Thor looked at the Captain worriedly and Steve caught it. He took the history text book. “Howling Commandos, huh?”he said with a slight smile. Seemed to snap Peter out of it.

“Yeah, you were in some of the chapters. I-I jus-just figure it was- it would be awkward...you know for-for you...to...have me study...you.” Peter finished lamley and Thor chuckled. 

“We shall help you study the Captain's past.” Thor laughed loudly and Peter smiled a small smile and took the sandwich Steve offered.

“How ‘bout I just tell you what happened and you can match it up with the book later.” Steve said flipping through the book and Peter nodded as he munched the sandwich.

Later Tony found him on the ceiling reading the textbook.

****  
  



	2. Food

**Food**

 

He was hungry.

 

He had been studying for finals non-stop. And when he wasn’t it was only to take a break to be Spiderman and send in his shots for the Bugel so he could get paid. He had no time to stop by the store and pick up food. He had barely enough time to get enough shots for the amount he had to pay for rent. He only did the bare minimum and studied to the max. 

 

But now his vision was blurring and he couldn’t think straight. He felt the grumbling in his stomach for a while, and ignored it for the better part of 3 hours as he plowed through his Physics textbook. 

 

Peter leaned back in his chair and sighed. They had next to nothing but beer in their fridge and he didn’t have time to go to the supermarket. He’d barley been sleeping and all his lunches consisted of him and Ned in the Library and him sucking in his gut to keep it from growling. If Ned knew how hungry he was, he’d surely make them stop studying to eat. Ned was a mother hen like that.

 

Not only did he have to study for  _ his _ finals, he was also help Cooper with his too. So it felt like he was studying more middle school stuff, which was actually the foundation for his finals, and he didn’t mind the review, but it made him so tired to constantly be studying.

 

“You little retard!” he heard the front door slam shut and he hoped no friends were coming today. He didn’t have time. “You forgot to pay this week’s rent!”  _ What?! _ He gotten enough money for it, it was right on his...night table and  _ not  _  in the building owner’s hand. He groaned as Ben kicked open the door that he wished he’d locked. 

 

“Sorry, I got it right here.” he rolled over and grabbed the money and handed it to Ben who just looked at him like he was crazy.

 

“Then go pay it and stop looking at me like a stupid ass shit.” he said back and Peter nearly groaned. He was tired and hungry, couldn’t Ben do it just this  _ once _ .

 

“I’ve got homework.” he said meekly.

 

“That you half ass and fail anyway. Don’t give me bullshit, you’re probably jus’ smoking some pot in here.”  _ Don’t tempt me _ . Peter wanted to say, but he just got up and he stomach unclenched giving out a loud growl. Peter blushed a bit and Ben quirked an eye.

 

“God you little pig.” he scrunched his nose in disgust. “Always eating and sucking money out of our account because you’ve got your fatass to feed.” he said and Peter wrapped his arms around his stomach looking down.

 

“You know you never really cared if me and May went hungry.” Ben continued “Jus’ kept eating and eating and asking for bigger and bigger portions. You little greedy shit. Can’t save anything for your caretakers who  _ slaved _ for ya, huh?” Ben asked and stepped forward just as Peter stepped back letting out a small garble from his stomach who just wouldn’t  _ shut up _ .

 

“Disgusting.” Ben wrinkled his nose and slammed the door shut.

 

OoOoO

 

Bucky loved the kid.

 

He was snarky and sarcastic when he wanted to be, but had that shy kid vibe to him, so the snark and sarcasm seemed to amplify. It was great. He was smart and intelligent and didn’t ask stupid questions, in fact he barley asked any questions at all. 

 

Spider Man, however, could take some getting used to. Unlike Sam, Bucky didn’t see Peter Parker and Spiderman as one in the same. They were completely different. Bucky didn’t mind getting his ass handed to him by the 15 year old so much as he minded getting his ass handed to him by a web headed vigilante. Call him weird but that’s just how he views it. But no one  _ really _ wanted to get their ass handed to them by a circus act in spandex, it was just embarrassing. And funny, with how many criminals and supervillains the kid’s beaten.

 

Parker was nice to have around though. He had this aura that dissipated any tension, and it was relaxing. But when Parker created the tension, which was exactly two times in the 8 months they’ve known each other, it was the most suffocating thing you will ever feel. It felt like a building was being crushed on top of you and you were left silent and barely breathing. Scott was right, if they could utilize that on the battlefield Parker would be the most powerful person on the planet. The Avengers Initiative would be invincible.

 

Superpowers aside, Bucky knew that the Spider Kid could handle himself. He was the  _ Spider Kid _ after all. But whenever he was dressed in his civvies, Bucky couldn’t stop himself from silently watching over the young boy. Protective instinct, and he didn’t feel ashamed of it in the least. Parker deserved to have someone watching his back. And he also wasn’t the only one.

 

Wanda liked the small spider child as well. 

 

She found him intriguing. He was strong, but modest. Intelligent, but kind. He never abused his power in anyway. He let his natural instincts show more around them, but never really tried to hide it like he had to do in public. It was nice to know he let his guard down around her. He trusted her. And he had done it far more quickly than anyone else on the team. Childish innocence without a person to hold them back, unlike Cassie, Lila and Cooper, whom she loved, but Clint and Scott could sometimes get overly protective. Not just with her, so she didn’t feel too bad about it. Peter didn’t have that kind of parental figure to restrain him.

 

Of course Wanda would be more protective of him. More mothering. Albeit she never quite beat Natasha or Pepper in that sense but she was a solid third place when it came to quite literally motherhenning the poor child. Albeit that was the female monitor, Steve was the reigning motherhen of the team, and even if Peter wasn’t an Avenger, he wasn’t an exception either. 

 

That poor boy.

 

So Bucky and Wanda watched over Peter quietly most of the time he was there. They had gotten along, because they were both mind controlled Hydra assets, but turned good. And their bond only strengthened because of Peter. Plus they were super vigilant, literally nothing got passed them.

 

So of course they’d notice when Peter was growing smaller on the couch. How his clothes hung off him and became baggier on his small frame. How when he took off his jacket his wrists were literally bones. His slender fingers hollowing and the bags under his almost sunken face. Peter always had that small, shy boy charm to him. And he never looked half bad...if he didn’t look so pale all the time, he’d definitely be asked out more often. Pale was his complexion, even before they’ve known him, but they had a sinking feeling that this was  _ too _ pale even for Peter. Too tired. Too small. 

 

He was losing weight. 

 

It was so obvious it hurt sometimes. And Wanda and Bucky had noticed the uneven spiking of weight gain and weight loss. Never quite reaching one hundred and never quite dipping as far as 74 pounds. But this one was drastic. He was at a 98 pounds, which swelled Bucky and Wanda up with pride, he was maybe gonna get to 100 this time. It never seemed to affect his attitude, which had meant he was  _ used _ to these weight fluxuations. Did he not get enough to eat at home? They knew he wasn’t really that rich, and they knew something was up at home, since he never seemed too determined to ever go home. He always lingered around longer at the compound. But he also had that superhuman metabolism, that kinda put a wrench in it, and his gaurdian didn’t know he was Spider man, but they’d certainly notice the food bill going sky high. The only way for Peter to maintain his identity was to act like a normal teenager, and that meant he needed to eat like a normal teenager.

 

They had caught their breath for that day, when Peter had entered the room. He had grown more tired and more sluggish around the end of the school year, and they thought it had something to do with finals, but his weight went 10 pounds down in a six day gap and he looked as if that apple in his hand was the first thing he’d eaten entire week. It was less drastic for the next two weeks but it kept decreasing with no spikes in it’s steady downfall, Bucky and Wanda were afraid it would be lower than 74 pounds. It stopped at a steady 76, and they let out a sigh of relief and worry when they noticed it stabilizing. 

 

He stumbled into the common room one day, looking entirely exhausted and starving. He crumbled onto the couch hand wrapped around his stomach and eyes closing, he wanted to sleep. Bucky and Wanda looked at eachother. Weather

 

He had had bad weeks, months and years before, but never like this. Of course this had all started with that decathlon practice of hell he was dragged to by Ned. Then Flash’s taunts about his job, which he gave up defending by that point. He thought he was doing something that was awesome and so did the kids and that was good enough at this point for him. His grades had become lower not by a lot but enough to bother and worry him. He’d always liked to get the best grades he could, because it was the only thing he had going for him, his intelligence. He knew he could do better, but he was too tired to. Bigger projects were due, and they counted more toward his grade for the end of the year. Getting 100 on tests and not doing homework weren’t enough anymore, he had to do the homework. And not just in the classes MJ was in. He didn’t really wanna do it for  _ her _ though, he did it so she wouldn’t have a reason to talk to  _ him _ . Another avoidance tactic, he didn’t think he could face her now… or ever.

 

And Ben.

 

Oh god. He’d been spending more time in his locked room due to the increase in work. He had to work on more things and still maintain his 4+ hours as Spidey a day, to insure crime rate was at an all time low. He’d go home, do homework til about 9, and go out till about...well when ever he felt like crashing, which was usually an hour before his alarm went off. Since he was always working from home, there wasn’t food there. He’d occasionally go to the Bugle for some rent money, but other then that he didn’t have time to consume food, much less buy it. Nor did he have the money right now, but when school was out and Spidey spottings spiked for the summer, he’d be running on gold. Rent would be paid two weeks early and food would be in his growling stomach. He just had to ignore the shooting pain in it and the obsessive growls for another week. He’d be fine.

 

Is what he told himself when he crashed on the Avengers’ couch, nearly falling into a coma due to lack of food. He was so freaking  _ hungry _ . Stupid Spider. Stupid Metabolism. God he was struggling to get something in him before, now it was nearly impossible to satiate his hunger. He needed food, he couldn’t think of who to ask though. Maybe Bucky and Wanda would know.

 

That was when Wanda got up and a few minutes later something smelling amazing was shoved in front of him. He looked down to see what looked like the best food ever. It was just a burger, but it looked too good to be true. Piled high with fries and that juicy burger and ketchup and tomato and lettuce and  _ Pickles _ . He loved pickles. 

 

“Great. Now I’m have hallucinations.” he grumbled in tone with his growling stomach. A accented laugh and deep chuckle was heard and the burger was pushed into his mouth. It tasted as amazing as it looked. “This feels so real.” he said wistfully, allowing himself to be fed the burger and the fries by a seemingly imaginary hand. 

 

He didn’t see the smiles on Wanda and Bucky’s face.

 

But half way through the burgers and fries, he felt something odd. He stopped opening his mouth and his stomach went from hungrily growling to aching nausea. He felt sick.  This hallucination was too real and he wrapped both arms around his stomach to calm it down. It hurt. He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and some murmurings and soon he was throwing up into a trash bag.

 

“Huh, so it  _ was _ real.” he said casually looking at his vomit and was reminded of the time he overate with Thor. He looked up to Bucky and Wanda who had worried looks on their faces and Bucky was holding the bag of his vomit as Wanda was rubbing soothing circles in his back. He should’ve been able to hold that.

 

_ “If it gets worse go to the good doctor.” _

 

_ “I will. I promise.” _

 

But this was only one time. He should be okay. It’s not really  _ worse _ .  _ Even if that was exactly a quarter of what you ate with Thor.  _  His mind supplied. But that was over three weeks ago.  _ Which is why you should be able to hold more, not less.  _

 

“Peter?” a accented voice asked gently.

 

“I’m fine.” he said with a smile “Just overate I guess, you can never know with this metabolism.” he smiled crookedly, and Bucky and Wanda glanced at each other nervously.

 

Great. They didn’t believe him.

  
  



	3. Parties

**Parties**

 

Last day of school. 

 

No more finals or projects. No more teachers nagging at him for not completing a useless homework assignment. No more Flash shoving him and taunting him. No more being the awkward kid...no more decathlon. And no more MJ vs Peter, or rather MJ beating Peter slowly from the inside.

 

Just three months of one less stress, and a whole lot of free time. That was both good and bad in his opinion.

 

He and Ned sat at the lunch table, discussing the Star Wars marathon they’d have on Sunday night, because Peter had to go to the compound tonight.

 

Consequently, so did Flash. But Peter didn’t know that until he had a bunch of gooey J-ello in his lap.

 

“Going to the Tower tonight?” Flash nearly snarled. Usually Flash went on Saturday afternoons, so Peter would usually patrol and drop by after he’d left. Peter must’ve looked confused because Flash smirked. “Tomorrow there’s a party. Lauren invited the whole school. You didn’t know?” Of course he didn’t know. He was a loser why would he. Peter rolled his eyes. And Flash left laughing.

 

Then Betty came up behind Flash and glared a little. She flipped her blonde hair and looked to Ned and Peter. Lauren was Betty’s older sister. She sighed.

 

“Could you guys come too? I need some  _ non-assholes _ there so I can be sane.” she sighed and Peter smiled a little. She smiled back shyly and looked at Ned for a bit longer before she left.

 

Peter turned to Ned and was positively vibrating. Oh, he’d forgotten Ned liked Betty. Peter smiled fondly as his friend check his e-mail. Betty was a nice girl, she did the morning news and she was pretty smart in economics. Ned nearly burst in happiness as he squealed and showed Peter an e-vite on his phone.

 

“Oh my god! You  _ have _ to come with me!” It wasn’t a question. Peter didn’t like parties. After that last one they went to, he wasn’t sure Ned even  _ wanted _ to go to parties with him. They were too loud and there was too much input there. Peter was going to open his mouth to say no, but Ned cut him off. “Come one Peter,” Ned urged with a slight whine “You deserve a little fun, and I need a wingman.” he said and Peter sighed

 

“Okay.” the smile on his best friend’s face was worth it.

 

OoOoO

 

Scott was so grateful for the kid.

 

He was everything a good role model should’ve been. Smart, polite and responsible. He never really did anything bad or illegal...well besides the whole vigilante thing, but to be fair Scott thought he had a good reason to do it. He never really did the wrong thing, like Scott had. Even if he’d learned his lesson, he’d lost a lot of time with Cassie as consequence. Peter was a better person for his daughter to look up to, and she did. Along with Scott himself, and Scott couldn’t be happier. The kid wasn’t intruding on his life with his daughter  _ and  _  being a good role model for her, it was like striking gold. Even if he came from a rough background.  _ Really _ rough.

 

He really owed the kid a lot.

 

So when he got a call from Peter at 11 o'clock on a Saturday, he picked up. Usually when Peter called it was for superheroing help he needed, in which case he called him like  _ once _ and it was  _ a big deal _ . The kid could handle himself, another thing to love about him. He could protect his kids. But that wasn’t the point now. Usually Scott initiated conversation, but the kids had taken to using Peter on a whim. Peter came everytime.

 

“Whats up Pete?” he said holding the phone to his ear. He could here a heavy base and chattering in the background. Then a glass broke and Scott could tell where he was. He was too shocked to say anything at first.

 

“H-Hey Sc-Scott.” he sounded like he was using fake cheer in his voice. They both knew it wouldn’t work. Another glass broke and Peter winced.

 

“Peter….are you at a party?” Scott asked, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to scold the kid or laugh. This was more amusing than anything. Peter, the golden boy and cutest puppy interpreter in the world, was at a party. A glass broke again. A  _ dirty _ party.

 

“Y-yeah.” he sounded ashamed. “Can you- can you come pick me up?” he sounded anxious, he probably was. Peter seemed the type to get nervous at these types of things. He sounded really uncomfortable.

 

“Yeah just text me the location, I’ll park a block down.” he could hear Peter’s grateful sigh.

 

“Thank you,” he breathed “I thought you were gonna embarrass me.” he said and a slight laugh sounded.

 

“Yeah, well if you were my daugther… plus you called me. Smart thing to do. Even making bad decision you make the right ones where it counts.” Scott said a fond smile slipped on his face.

 

“I always make the right decision.” Peter didn’t sound too happy about it. “It seems to get me into trouble rather than out of it.”  he mumbled. Scott hummed getting the text.

 

“Be there in 15 minutes.” He said

 

“It’s 30 minutes getting here.”Peter corrected.

 

“No it’s 15 minutes getting there, 30 minutes getting back.” Scott said with a smirk and Peter groaned, but said:

 

“I’ll be on the curb” and hung up.

 

OoOoO

 

Peter regretted everything.

 

He regretted coming knowing full well of his Parker luck. Regretted telling Ned he’d arrive right after Patrol so to just go and he’d meet him at the party only for him to cancel because he was sick an hour later. He kind of deserved that for the last party he went to and he left and didn’t pick up. He also regretted looking MJ in the eyes only for her to look away nervously and go on with her life. It hurt him more then it should’ve.

 

Once he got the text an hour after arriving from  Ned about his absence and apologies, he texted a feel better and no problem with all the smiley faces he could type without his hand cramping. He then walked outside and wondered how he was gonna get home. He could swing home, but swinging would turn into another patrol and he didn’t feel up to that right now. His body was  _ so sore and tired _ . 

 

Option B: call an adult. But who? Ben was out of the question. Like instantly. Even if they weren’t in a fight, like they always were, he wouldn’t call him. Drunk driving is something his fried nerves couldn’t handle right now. Right now he was really anxious, so Tony and Clint were out. They’d make fun and embarrass him, and he didn’t think Thor had a car, or any of the other Avengers really. Well Steve had one but would just scold him for even coming, he couldn’t hear that either. Nat? Nah, she’d laugh at him too. Bruce? Same as Steve. Scott?....Actually Scott wasn’t that bad. He would maybe tell him off a bit, but lightly. Yeah, Scott was his option B.

 

“What’s up Pete?” he heard after exactly 3 rings. He felt his palms get sweaty. Anxiety settling in his near empty stomach, he hadn’t eaten today and that was probably making him tired. Hadn’t Bucky and Wanda told him off about this like  _ yesterday _ .

 

H-Hey, Sc-Scott.” he stuttered and cursed as someone threw a bottle of beer on the ground.

 

“Peter...Are you at a party?” was it that obvious. Not even thirty seconds into the call. Good job Parker. Well honesty is the best policy. He really should use it more though.

 

“Y-Yeah.” he said ducking his head in shame. “Can you-can you come pick me up?” he asked hopefully and crossed his fingers.

 

“Yeah just text me a location.” he breathed a sigh of relief and started to do so “I’ll park a block down” And Peter laughed a bit. This was even greater than he expected.

 

“Thank you,” he breathed “I thought you were gonna embarrass me.” he said and a slight laugh sounded. A small smile spread across his face.

 

“Yeah, well if you were my daughter…” Peter got that, he’d make sure Cassie knew to never  _ ever _ come to these kinds of parties either and make responsible decisions ” plus you called me. Smart thing to do. Even making bad decision you make the right ones where it counts.” Scott said.

 

“I always make the right decision.” Peter said, and he knew he should be more happy about it. Being Spiderman came with a lot of responsibility, but it cost him his second friend ever and nearly his first. It cost him so many  _ normal _ things that happened in his life. It cost a lot and sometimes he wondered if it cost more then it gave. “It seems to get me into trouble rather than out of it.”  he mumbled. Scott hummed getting the text.

 

“Be there in 15 minutes.” He said

 

“It’s 30 minutes getting here.”Peter corrected.

 

“No it’s 15 minutes getting there, 30 minutes getting back.” Scott said with a smirk and Peter groaned, but said:

 

“I’ll be on the curb” and hung up.

 

When Scott arrived, he texted Peter and Peter walked a block to the right and got in the passenger's seat. 

 

“So Pete. How was the party?” he teased “Meet any pretty girls.”  _ MJ walking by and ignoring him like she had for the past month. _ At least school ended. That didn’t stop anxiety churning in his stomach. He felt sick. “You okay?” Scott asked and Peter looked at him to see worry painted across his face.

 

“I-I’m fine… just…” he felt like throwing up. “Yeah I’m-I’m good.” he said instead. There was a short stretch of silence then.

 

“You didn’t..have anything to drink? Did you?” Scott asked and even the thought of him drinking reminded him of  _ Uncle Ben on his fourth bottle and Peter could smell the nauseating stench everytime he got and wanted to throw up. _ Man going to that party really wasn’t a good idea. Peter shook his head.

 

“No, absolutely not. Why would I- I couldn’t drink, I- I’m just… I’m underage.” he finished lamley and Scott barked out a laugh and Peter snapped his head down to his lap again in embarrassment. 

 

“Okay Pete. God you’re a good kid.” Scott shook his head. “You deserve more then you’re getting.” he mumbled and Peter pretended he didn’t say that, cause no he didn’t deserve more, he deserved less. But if he lost anymore then he had, he didn’t think he could take it. He’d break. He didn’t want more to fuel the inevitable, because he  _ would _ lose something eventually. 

 

“Uhm…” Peter shifted uncomfortably. “Mr-Mr.Lang...I...I think I-” Peter cut himself off. He needed help, but from an adult...a  _ parental _ adult. Someone he could come to regularly for advice an adult would give to their child. But Scott already had a kid. He didn’t need Peter swinging in and ruining everything.

 

“Peter you okay?” Scott asked and Peter snapped his head toward Scott’s worried face. It made something in his stomach sink.

 

“I’m fine.” he gritted out. “I just really don’t like parties. They are so loud and too bright for me. I couldn’t stand them even without the alcohol.” Peter said quickly ducking his head in embarrassment.

 

“Why’d you go?” Scott asked and Peter sighed.

 

“A-A friend was supposed to meet me there… but he got sick.” Peter informed and smiled a bit “I think I deserved that, I mean the last time I went to a party with him, I had to ditch him...He says I don’t know how to let loose.” Peter said quietly.

 

“Why’d you ditch him?” Scott asked.

 

“Well the only reason we were even at the party in the first place was because he said I knew Spiderman, cause you know I take shots of him for the Bugel. And then Flash invited me to Liz Allen’s party and said to invite Spiderman...We went and like I was gonna do it but….” Peter trailed off, Scott waited. 

 

“Spiderman isn’t a party trick. I won’t ever let him be.”

  
  



	4. Sleep

**Sleep**

 

Natasha goodness to god  _ loved _ that kid.

 

He was smart and polite and strong. She just guessed she had a thing for those kinds of people. Peter never really acknowledged his strength, even hid sometimes. And he never abused his power nor privileges. 

 

He was just such a good kid. When Scott came home with a disheveled Peter who smells faintly of alcohol, she had assumed he came directly from home. But then the kid went to take a shower and Scott had explained that he was  _ forced _ to go to a party, and called him five minutes after having arrived at said party. Well more like an hour, but Scott shook his head faintly and the matter was dropped.

 

She loved all the little things about him too. The cute way he scrunched up his nose. How he wasn’t ‘too big’ to help an old woman across the street. She and Bruce loved to come home to him watching a movie with the kids who had already fallen asleep and he was just about to doze off. Then the Avengers would scramble to either their children, or to go sit and ‘cuddle’  a sleepy Peter. He was adorable like that. 

 

The first time he dozed off was during a movie, he was alone in the corner of the couch, same couch as Thor and Jane, she remembered him having an arm around her back over the couch. Peter was falling asleep and Jane had looked over and told Peter to come sit by them, and Peter being the good child he was, sleepily crawled over and Jane pulled him in the perfect spot between the two. Thor didn’t seem to mind once the child was asleep, and she didn’t think Peter was aware he was cuddling a god like a teddy bear.

 

Then another time when Peter had done the same to Bucky, and to everyone’s surprise he let it happen. Even putting a protective flesh arm around Peter as he snuggled into his side. 

 

He’d done it with Wanda and Vision too, Vision oddly confused and Wanda making sure he had enough blankets. And the same with Steve, who looked like an overprotective dog. Sam didn’t even seem to mind the snuggling so much from the ‘Spiderbrat’, and neither did Rhody.

 

But she thought the most fitting times he cuddled with one or two of the Avengers, was when he was with her and Bruce. Call her biased but it just felt right. He’d lean on Bruce’s shoulder, while she lent into him too. And a blanket would usually cover them all. 

 

They’d have good blackmail material, if they ever wanted to use it.

 

The only one who he hadn’t ‘cuddled’ with was Tony. Pepper did though, when Tony wasn’t around and it was kind of more fitting then her she’d admit.

 

When he sparred with them sometimes, she liked to call him her little apprentice. If only because of the spider theme at first, but she noticed their hand to hand was quite similar. Using their small size and agility to take on opponents. 

 

So yes, she absolutely loved Peter. Which was why when she heard the elevator go down to the training rooms and Peter was  _ not _ on the couch, she could put two and two together. 

 

She watched him beat up sandbags for 15 minutes before calling Clint. 

 

Clint loved the kid too.

 

He was a great kid. He took care of their children well, and tutored them excellently. Smart and sweet. Hard to believe he was the quippy, snarky Spiderman, but somehow it was fitting. 

 

When he’d first met the scrawny teen, he could tell, just by the look in his eyes, that he had more secrets then he cared to share. He was one of those ‘bottle everything up types and give into bad habits’. He hadn’t wanted Cooper around him, but Cooper and Lila seemed to absolutely  _ adore _ him. Admire him even, and Clint got to thinking, what in the goodness to god’s world could this kid have done to get the affection he had gotten from his kids?

 

Then he saw what he had done for him, and he sort of understood. There was still a layer of mistrust. Then he found out the kid was Spiderman, and it all made sense. And then he thought,  _ duh it was so obvious _ . But when he’d found out, Peter hadn’t been all that surprised. More disappointed. But the look of disappointment washed away and then he had looked guilty. Then he looked mad when he told him what Oc had done. 

 

The words that got to him the most from that encounter was ‘ _ not even he would tell  _ me _ what went on in Oc’s lab _ .’ Lab being the keyword to catalyst a chain of reactions. The kid had been either tortured or experimented on...he was 15. Then he realized what that meant for his own kids and  _ oh god _ if Peter was actually  _ mad _ at that. Mad and Panicked. The Panicked part was usual, but the mad had been something else entirely. Something dangerous.

 

Then he nearly died and had an emotional break down to save his kids, and if that didn’t prove his worth, nothing did. 

 

Then that Thomson kid shows up and he’s freaking out. He’s hiding and Clint thinks he may be embarrassed, but he shouldn’t be. The kid needed more self-confidence so he shoved him out into the open and exposed him to what he didn’t need to be. Turns out it was a mistake cause the next day Scott came back with the kid early for getting in a fight. Clint had felt infinitely guilty.

 

But Clint had always noticed. He was a spy, and it was so clear. The way his clothes hung off him like a coat rack, or his paleness that was getting impossibly paler everyday. And the bags oh good god, those weren’t clearing up anytime soon. But he just kept right on smiling, pretending like nothing was wrong, when Clint could tell half his world, the half that they don’t know, was crashing down and piling on his shoulders. This was all too much for the kid.

 

He didn’t understand why he couldn’t just  _ stop _ .

 

OoOoO

 

Peter punched the punching bag again. This time his fist going in deeper. Making a permanent indent in the fabric, and he could nearly feel the sand.

 

It was one in the morning. He couldn’t sleep. He knew he told Scott he would try and get some rest, but tomorrow was Sunday anyway. And it was summer, he had nowhere to be. He was all good if he was a little sleepy in the morning. 

 

Everything was running through his head. He couldn’t get to sleep. MJ. Ben. Spiderman. Even his parents. Everything he could possibly stress him out was coming back for him. And he was supposed to destress during the summer. Why was he stressing?

 

He thought that he ended the school year strongly, just that Flash kept bragging to him about that stupid internship. It was annoying but constant, and he rather liked constants even if they were bullies, because constant were stable and never leave. He kept getting As and did the homework. But he never did homework for the As. He did homework so he could avoid a situation like the one he had with MJ that day. When he was dead tired and he wanted to cry in front of the whole class. He honestly was about to do it, but an urge overcame him he had to hold it back. Like everything else. Hold back on over answering the question. Hold back his tidal wave of emotions he’s been keeping back since he could remember. The piling secrets he didn’t even know why he never told anybody. They probably didn’t matter anymore. Pulling his punches.

 

He punched the sand bag again. He didn’t have to pull his punches here. He punched again and it swung back, spinning in a 360.

 

  1. What was there to tell? Avoiding each other outside of decathlon. Next year when they started competitions it was gonna get really messy. She was still with Charles and at this point he 100% supported their relationship.He made her happy and he was a good guy. He was smart. She was happy. That was good. He wanted to say so long as she was happy, he was too, but he knew that was cheesy and _so_ not true. So that was one thing that he didn’t have to worry about. But honestly with everything else, he thought MJ and School were the least of his worries.



 

Ben was probably one of the bigger ones. But even that seemed insignificant when he really thought about it. I mean Ben was just Ben. Over drinking and smelling too much like booz. He couldn’t even remember the last time he saw him was two weeks ago. He’d been keeping up on the bills pretty nicely and Ben seemed satisfied as long as they had a roof. He still didn’t know why he was helping his uncle out, he could just as easily move onto the streets and have that entire part of his life removed, it’s not like he was at the apartment much anyway. But something about have one to actually return to sat well with him. He might hate it, and highly dislike the person who Ben had become, but something about returning somewhere was nice.

 

Spiderman was enough said. Probably the root of all those stresses and why they were even stresses in the first place, but he couldn’t bring himself to hate it. By far, Spiderman was the best and worst thing to happen in his life. And he  _ loved _ it. He loved saving people and seeing people get home. Safe and sound. What he didn’t like were all the nasty villains that were after him and the injuries he got when dealing with them. But no, he couldn’t ever bring himself to hate Spiderman.

 

Spiderman had technically been his parents last experiment. And it had finished itself. They had got what they wanted. A perfect spider soldier. A strong individual but also small and quiet enough to operate stealth. And smart. Yep perfect soldier, just like his parents had always wanted him to be. The perfect specimen. They’d never wanted him to go to war. They just wanted him to be their little lab experiment. That what Ben kept saying. He also said he was a failed experiment… but the experiment had been completed and he was the only one to ever know about that. Ben knew about the experimenting too. So did May. They knew he knew about it too. They never talked about them, but they let it all muddle into blurs. It was a mistake because now the only memory of his parents he had were the traumatizing ones. On a lab table, hurting, them whispering reassurances to him, and pain.

 

He hated to think about it.

 

“Late night?” said a female voice that was blunt. He would’ve thought it was MJ for a second, but it was too mature to be hers. Plus it had a slight russian tang to it. He punched the sandbag again.

 

“Kind of.” he said back not really looking away from the sandbag. “Or early morning.” she came behind him and he moved a bit so she could position herself to the sandbag next to her. She was a few inches taller then he was, but he didn’t pay any mind to it that much. 

 

“You know teens are supposed to get 8-10 hours of sleep?” she asked and Peter scoffed a little.

 

“I doubt you even got half of that in your teens.” he said in his own snarky but timid way. It didn’t sound snobby or obnoxious and that was one of the things Natasha liked about Peter. He wasn’t rude, always polite and timid, even when quipping. And for some reason his quips were even better than Spiderman. Maybe it was content, but Natasha thought it was because it was so  _ unexpected _ out of Peter. Even in all the months they’d known each other.

 

“Yeah, well you should too. I mean I had a reason not to, what’s your excuse?”  _ Parents I don’t have. Trauma from all the things I’ve been through. School. Girl troubles. Where do I even began. _ “You know, we all have ways to cope. Not saying any of ours is as healthy as yours. And I’m certainly not saying you haven’t been through a lot a kid your age doesn’t have to go through but…” Natasha said punching and kicking her sandbag around. She was still upholding a regular conversation as if she wasn’t moving at lightspeed.

 

“I didn’t have to go through it.” Peter finished instead punching his bag and it nearly flew off the hinges. 

 

“Yeah.” Natasha said and stopped moving. Peter put his hands down. “Unless you didn’t.”

 

“The spiderbite was a complete accident.” It was a lie, but a truth. He wasn’t supposed to be finished. He was supposed to be a scrap piece of experiment to be thrown away. 

 

“Yeah but Spiderman wasn’t.” even if he was finished he was just supposed to be a specimen. Not an actually active part of the force.  _ Teenage rebellion _ he laughed to himself. “Unless he was?”

 

“Are you implying I was  _ forced _ to do what I do?” he asked Natasha with a raised brow and she curtly nodded. He smiled a little and mumbled a “Well you’re not completely wrong.” 

 

“When was the last time you slept.” she asked. The without nightmares part went unsaid but he heard it anyway. 

 

“The last time I passed out.” he replied which had been when he near drowned. 

 

“Okay.” she answered and he felt someone neck him and his world turned black. 

 

He couldn’t find it in himself to be all that mad.

  
  



	5. Medical

**Medical**

 

When Natasha and Clint had brought him in after knocking him out, Bruce was mad then understanding once Natasha explained the situation. 

 

Peter  _ needed _ to be decked, as much as it felt weird to say it.

 

He’d only been to medical once before and that hadn’t gone over so well. There were some variables he understood, but much like the rest of the team, Peter was an enigma to him. He could tell he was hiding something, just  not what and Peter knew that they knew he was hiding something too. But Laughed and smiled anyway, pretending it didn’t exist. 

 

He didn’t  _ want _ to deal with it, Bruce had realized. And yeah, he wouldn’t want to deal with the crap Peter’s been put through too. Bruce’s lab accident wasn’t all that random, in fact it was pretty inevitable. Peter’s had been completely out of the blue, changing his life. He was a normal teenager one day and the next he was a mutant. It was scary how well it worked, and Bruce had never tested it but based on observation, he could guess it wasn’t  _ just _ gene splicing that Oscorp was perfecting. It was a super soldier serum.

 

The difference was, this one worked  _ better  _  than the original. Too bad the scientist died and the only person with it was a traumatized 15 year old kid. 

 

But the more Bruce thought about it, the more he realized. Spiderman  _ was _ the perfect soldier. Strength was a given, he could lift at least a ton more than Cap or Bucky. Healing, also a given, but his was faster than anyone else’s. He wasn’t big or buff, but he packed a punch and was quick and agile. He could jump high and climb on any surface. Perfect for stealth incursions too. And he was smart. 

 

Oh  _ boy _ , he was smart. Making his own chemical compound that through the tensile strength off the charts. The dissolvable webbing he created could revolutionize a lot of things technologically, not to mention his web shooters. And then also...the decay rate algorithm. He hadn’t seen the research or results, but just listening to what it had done...it was hard to believe a 15 year old kid could know so much about that stuff. And then lock it away, as if it were some super weapon. Destroy all the evidence and erase every trace of it. Hack into databases that were not meant or able to be hacked. It wasn’t a serum working then though. It was Peter Parker, and that was something the serum  _ couldn’t _ effect. Intelligence. Spiderman was a one time deal. 

 

Then proving it. It was easy. Taking down criminals and everything from saving a cat in a tree to fighting aliens in the stratosphere. He wasn’t picky. He just understood what had to be done and did it. And whatever the results or consequences he’d roll with it. Cause he could afford it. But he applied that to his real life too, and Bruce wasn’t so sure that was a good thing. 

 

He had leagues of super villains, way more than the Avengers, team up against him. And he didn’t even have a team to back him up. He also managed to maintain a pretty normal high school life as far as he could tell. 

 

He couldn’t lie for his life. But he was good at hiding things, somehow. But no one could ever figure it out, between the personality and smiles and innocence of it all, none of them would have ever guessed he wasn’t being...parented. He wasn’t being abused, but he was being abandoned. And had been left in the cold alone before apparently. Several times apparently. Maybe that was why Spidey was solo.

 

And that’s what hurt Bruce the most.

 

Because this kid didn’t do a damn thing to deserve any of it.

 

OoOoO

 

Peter hated medical.

 

It wasn’t because of the tediousness of getting drugs put into him or the uncomfortable scratchiness of the bandages. Not even because he didn’t want to worry people. Although those do factor into why he hates medical.

 

Peter hates it for the smell. It smells like a hospital. Too strong disinfectant and rubber gloves. Plastic, elastic smell that wears into your clothes if you stay too long.

 

It smelt like his mother. He didn’t why or how he remembered what she smelt like, but he did know she smelt like a doctor’s office instead of floral perfume like most moms did. She wasn’t even a doctor she was a scientist. Maybe that’s why he remembered her smell. Cause the only memories he had of her were in that lab. Taking shots and her promising him he’d be strong. He didn’t want it though; he remembers distinctly  _ not _ wanting it. He just wanted his parents to be proud, and then they plunged a needle into his arm and it all hurt. He remembered their soothing voices trying to calm him down, but he’d just kept crying for it to stop. He only remembers bits and pieces of it and as the years went on the pieces got blurry. He was almost relieved at it. But the smell stayed. Like it had sunk into her clothes and into his memories.

 

Now that he thought about it, he’d always been messed up. It didn’t start at the spiderbite, people had been experimenting on him  _ before _ that. His parents  _ lightly _ did so at least, but that didn’t stop it from hurting or the fact that it wasn’t right. 

 

One thing he’s always learned was he never like the sterile smell of hospitals. They reminded him of the experimentation tables and the plasticy gloves and the syringes filled with  _ not flu vaccines _ . He hated how it tainted the memory of his mother and father, because they had stopped at one point. They had stopped when they realized what the fuck they were doing. They stopped, and he forgave them…

 

And then they died. And he was back in the hospital again. With that sterile smell. Then May died and he was there again too. 

 

Now the smell had a whole new meaning. Death. Death and Experimentation. Pain and burning and  _ it hurts so much dad please stop _ . 

 

Peter squeezed his eyes shut. Yeah, he never had good impressions on parent-figures. They all either died or were tainted by something they had done.

 

Why did Peter keep forgiving them? Oh right, because they were all he had. Cause the only thing he was cling on to were the good memories he wished so hard they could redo over and over again. Pretending that they never touched him wrong or gave him something bad or hit him or cursed him out. Nope. Just the good things. Like late night cuddles when he had a nightmare or Star Wars binges til’ 3 am or eating out cause May burnt the chicken again.

 

But those were never gonna happen, not again. Not this time. There was no going back. Not when so many people were lost and there were too many bad things to defuse. There was no way his family could ever make it up to him, not from where they were right now. And for some odd reason he was okay with that.

 

It still didn’t stop him from hating the smell.

 

So when he woke up in medical and that was where he was. That was the first thing that hit him. He didn’t feel any pain. At least not the burning in your gut kind that you got from being experimented on (it hurt him to know that he knew that feeling as well as he did). There was no insigin breaks, and he didn’t feel sappingly tired, just  _ tired _ . But not too tired to not stay awake. He looked over to see Bruce who was frantically tapping buttons. He didn’t bother to look around.

 

“Who died?” he asked before his brain could catch up. It finally did when Bruce looked at him in confusion and worry and sadness. He was immediately awake realizing what he'd just said. “I didn’t mean that- I meant what...wait what happened?” then it all came crashing back to him. Clint and Natasha knocked him out during late night training. He groaned and fell back against the pillows. How embarrassing.

 

“How many people have you lost, Pete?” Bruce said quietly instead. It was nothing like the last time he’d been in here, when he nearly drowned. Peter looked at him through one cracked eye and Bruce was staring intently at him, waiting for a goodness to god answer, but somehow not expecting anything at all. Peter sighed.

 

Why was Bruce even asking this? Why was he answering? He didn’t want to answer any of those questions. But this was Bruce. He couldn’t deny the man anything, he was so nice. Like a teddy bear. Yep Bruce was officially a teddy bear, full time. He only worked part time as an Avenger. Peter was 3000% sure of it.

 

“Why are you asking me this?” Peter asked. 

 

“Because I wanna know.” Peter gave him a unsatisfied look and Bruce sighed. “Okay, how bout I ask a question and you can ask one back. But we both have to answer honestly.” Peter blinked.

 

“Okay.” he said finally“ 3 people.” not that much now that he’s thought about it. Quite a small number. “My turn…” he said longingly, but he didn’t know what to ask. 

 

“And how many have you got now?” Bruce asked instead Peter looked at him for a minute  _ that wasn’t the deal _ “You can ask yours later when you have the question.” he placated. Peter shrugged. He had to think on the question. He’d lost Michelle and Ben was half gone… so that’d make:

 

“One and a half.” Peter said, then he thought about it a bit more “Actually One and an eighth, quarter at best.” he said, because Ben was  _ way _ more then half gone. If he was half gone, Peter probably would’ve already figured out a way to bring him back. Back to his old self.

 

“Okay how many people do you care about… that are still alive?” Bruce asked, and he couldn’t say. He cared about a lot of people. Bruce, the kids, MJ, Ned, Ben, the Avengers, the kitten he saved from that tree the other day...well that wasn’t a person, but it was pretty darn cute.

 

“Too many.” he answered honestly, Bruce didn’t seem to mind. He asked another question.

 

“How many people you think care about  _ you _ ?” Trick question? He didn’t want to answer.  _ No one. _

 

“Have you ever been experimented on?” he asked instead. He technically had three questions he could ask. “Like not on yourself...by someone else.” Bruce blinked thinking.

 

“No…” he answered slowly. “Just myself, but it was an accident to begin with.” Bruce answered and looked at Peter questioningly like he had more questions. He probably did.

 

“Did you ever hate your parents for something they did a long time ago, and they knew it was wrong and you knew it was wrong, but they did it anyway?” it was so specific. Bruce blinked twice, Peter looked at him longingly.

 

“Uhmmm. Honestly I’m not sure how to answer that one Pete. I mean I didn’t know my parents very well.” he said honestly and Peter didn’t mind it. He got that.

 

“Is it okay if- to be a little messed up?” Peter asked, but there was nearly no emotion in it, but emotion was still present.  _ ‘No need to make this an emotion fest kid. It was a yes or no question.’ _

 

“You’re not mess up Peter.” Bruce said reassuringly, or what was supposed to be. He wasn’t sure who he was reassuring.

 

“That wasn’t the question.” he said.

 

“Yes, it’s perfectly fine to be so.” Bruce said, it was opinion based. That was more reassuring then what he’d said earlier and Peter smiled a little.

 

“My turn. Were any of those questions related?” they both knew the answer, but Peter shrugged.

 

“It wasn’t meant to be.” he said honestly and Bruce seemed to hide the look of panic “..this will.. Stay between us right?” he asked meekly and Bruce vigorously nodded his head. It was almost comical.

 

“Peter, how long have you been..?” he didn’t need to finish and Peter smiled down at himself.

 

“My whole life… and I never told anyone before… I don’t know why. It seemed unimportant.” he said and tears burned in the back of his eyes. “I hate the smell of hospitals you know. I’ve always disliked them, ever since I could remember. I never told anyone that either.” Peter said in a quiet voice. Bruce heard it, and then got up and went to a cabinet. Peter followed him with his eyes. He pulled out a febreeze that smelled like flowers. And sprayed it throughout the room. 

 

Peter smiled as he inhaled lavender.

  
  



	6. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one is a lot shorter then the others, but I'll make up for it. The next big part of the series will be longer I think. I don't have anything written down for that but for the Peter/MJ stuff takes place after the Peter/Tony(& co) stuff is more sorted out.

**Home**

 

It wasn’t a good day. 

 

The furthest from it actually, you couldn’t get any worse. Especially sleeping outside your window on a fire escape because you accidentally locked your windows. To top it off soaking wet because the sky decided to drizzle last night. Not the best of mornings to start off with. 

 

Ned was still sick so he had nothing to really do except build robots or Spiderman. He didn’t want to Spiderman right now though, since he had been doing it all night and he could use a break from being called a menace. Plus his body was sore. He didn’t want to build things either, cause that would mean spending time in his room, and being a constant target for Ben. Library? A nice book and a nice chair? That sounded wonderful.

 

It would’ve been too, you know if he actually got there. 

 

Of course some one had to be in trouble and get mugged in an ally, and of course he’d have to suit up. And  _ of course _ when he was finished running from the cops after he saved that person - who wasn’t even grateful for it mind you - he’d run into the Rhino. Of course, because he’s Peter Parker. He wasn’t even surprised.

 

And then after he was done it’d be lunch time and he didn’t have any money and he was starving cause he only ate a sandwich for dinner last night.

 

The sole thing he could salvage from his day was Cooper inviting him over for lunch at the tower. Peter’s enhanced metabolism would appreciate that, so he swung on over.

 

Of course he knew it wouldn’t go smoothly. Not on days like these. 

 

OoOoO

 

Tony didn’t know what to think about the kid.

 

He could say for sure that he knew Spiderman better than any other Avenger. He couldn’t say the same for Peter Parker though. Or at least not as much as he knew about Spiderman. 

 

Everytime he asked a question to Peter, it got far more of a response out of the kid than if the others asked. But he and Peter were never ever gonna be close. Sure he knew basically everything there is to know about the kid, with his research and reactions to things, but he never really confronted him about it. Knowing someone and who they are are two completely different things.

 

Tony knew a lot, though. He knew Peter was the smartest yet poorest in the school  he was currently attending. He was riding on a full scholarship and that wasn’t easy, especially at Midtown. He knew the kid wanted to help people but was too stubborn and shy to show his work with anybody. Or was too scared to, only for it to turn into a weapon. Conners potentially shut down the only person that can heal tissue without a machine. And he was 15. His love for science shouldn’t be shut down this early on, especially such a brilliant mind.

 

He knew he struggled for money. Getting a job at the Bugle to take selfies. Nice gig kid. He didn’t get food at home that often and based on his smell he either lived in a really bad neighborhood, which wasn’t that hard to believe considering he lived in Queens. But the way he shrunk in on himself and hunched his shoulders. And especially after he woke up in the Medbay after he had drowned, Tony knew.

 

Peter lived with a drunk.

 

That was the sad unquestionable truth. He looked at alcohol in almost an accusatory way. As if it was the source of his problems. A very venom that leeched your soul. He was close, but he and Tony knew that wasn’t it. 

 

Peter never opened up about it, and Tony wouldn’t blame him for acting out instead of doing so. After all that’s what he did. But Peter kept making right decisions, he was a good kid who focused on what mattered. He didn’t do stupid shit like Tony had. 

 

But he still kept quiet about it.

 

It worries Tony more than anything in the world. He  _ wished _ Peter acted out and went to parties and drank alcohol. He  _ wished  _ Peter wouldn’t try in school. He  _ wished _ Peter would stop trying to please everyone but himself.

 

They were so different, yet completely the same. 

 

Tony didn’t mind giving Peter his space. He had no obligation to take care of the boy after all. But he was human, with human morals, so when Peter showed up at the compound with a growing bruise across his face and bloodshot eyes and cloths literally hanging off of his like he was a clothes rack is when he draws a line.

 

The kid looked like shit.

 

“Yo, Spiderling. Mind if I talk to you?” Peter gave him a wary look like he didn’t want to go. He probably didn’t. He probably either wanted to lock himself in his small room in Queens, but he left his apartment and was evidently staying the night with the bag he’d packed. So option B was never being alone without actually talking about it. But if Tony pulled him off alone he couldn’t even have that.

 

Too bad both of those options were highly unhealthy and just gonna make this not talking thing worse.

 

Peter followed him out scarily easily. And they stopped at a secluded place.

 

“Kid you gotta stop doing this to yourself.” He said not beating around the bush,  and Peter looked at him like a begging puppy and Tony sighed. “I don’t know why you put up with that drunk asshole, but you’ve gotta get outta there.” Tony said and Peter stared at him wide eyes, Tony rolled his eyes. “I’m not stupid kid, you don’t drink but you smell like you do.” Peter stared at him for a bit longer and Tony felt uncomfortable “can you say something?” He asked annoyed and Peter opened his mouth.

 

“I-I’m Fine, mr-mr.stark.” He croaked out and winced rubbing his throat. Fighting with Rhino always took it out of him. Tony’s eyes widened and he knelt down in front of the kid. 

 

“Peter hey! Can you breath? Are you okay?” Peter had tears in his eyes but not falling, Tony grabbed his shoulder and he stumbled with the older man. Peter squeezed his eyes shut.

 

_ “You worthless piece of shit!!” Ben said punching him across the face. The smell of Vodka was thick in the air.  _

 

_ What had he even done this time? _

 

_ “You existed.” said the man, Peter hadn’t even realized he had croaked that softly out loud. “You think Mary or Richard even wanted you? They scrapped you, just like everyone else. When will you take the hint and just die.” Ben picked him up by the throat and held him against the wall. Peter didn’t even try to struggle. “You weren’t good enough for them, I don’t even know why we decided to take a piece of garbage like you in. But we did. Worst decision of my life.” Peter felt tears prick his eyes. He didn’t want that to be true, but Ben had a point. _

 

_ Everyone he’d ever loved ended up leaving. _

 

“Leave me alone.” Peter pushed away Tony who looked faintly surprised. Surprised enough to backup a little from the boy, but not too much. “I’m fine.” he was saying eyes closed head down, like he was trying to convince himself more than Tony. He probably was, cause Tony knew okay, and this wasn’t it.

 

“No you’re not.”  _ You are underweight, tired and abused. That is probably the farthest from okay I can think of. _ Tony didn’t say that part, but it was on the tip of his tongue, he’s not really the type to beat around the bush and Peter let out a humorless laugh. It surprised both of them. But then he was coughing and Tony was right back to his cool facade. “You’re in pain.” Peter shook his head.

 

“Mr.Stark, I’m fine. Really. This doesn’t happen. It’s never this bad. Please.”  _ Please _ ? Please what? Let a child go back to his abusive drunk uncle. Tony wouldn’t let that happen. Peter isn’t staying with that man. “You can’t stop me from being Spiderman.”  _ Oh, his uncle didn’t do this to him… _

 

“I’m not talking about Spiderman…” Tony mumbled before he could catch himself and Peter looked at  him with wide eyes. 

 

“T-Then what are you- what are you talking about?” He stuttered and crossed his arms in a defenive stance, Tony recognized it. Shrinking in, and trying to make himself as small a target as possible, it was in vain, he was the only one there. 

 

“I’m talking about getting you out of that home in Queens.” Tony nearly spat, cause he’d barley call that place a home. It didn’t provide anything necessary to take care of this kid. Peter seemed to realize what he was talking about.

 

“You can’t- you can’t do that.” Peter’s voice cracked and he looked like he was gonna cry. He had a long day, but he wouldn’t cry in front of Tony.

 

“I can do a lot of things kid.” Peter looked heartbroken. 

 

“Please… he’s the only one I have left. You- you can’t take him away.” Peter said brokenly and Tony couldn’t find it in himself to talk back to that one.

 

Because if this kid lost anymore he’d break.

  
  



End file.
